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ARTISTS STATEMENT

[A Reflection]

'Art was never simply an end in itself, but was always a form of political expression. Art should have a message, a canvas is no longer a construction of colours and lines, but a cry to refuse injustice and cruelty.' [1]

Conflict can generate powerful emotions and drive individuals to express these by several means. Many artists in the Middle East have focused on political injustice and war as subject matter in their own practice, local violence has found a second means of expression through art.

Picasso's 'Guernica' was an immediate response to the indiscriminate bombing of that town during the Spanish Civil War. 'How could it be possible to feel no interest in other people and with a cool indifference detach yourself from the very life which they bring to you so abundantly? No, painting is not done to decorate apartments, it is an instrument of war.' [2]

The beginning of the 21st Century started with several regions engaged in conflict; compounded by terrorist events and the prospect of an invasion of another country. Governments usually have mixed reasons for war, but post conflict they have influence, can impose political change and gain benefit from existing natural resources. How sophisticated have we become in resolving our differences as humans in this new era? The acceptance of violence as a means to resolving problems is seen in individuals, small groups as well as large armies. The notion that man is not inherently prone to violence 'has been refuted by studies of hunter-gatherers and societies (more generally), that show how violence and warfare are a human universal. The reports of tribes out there somewhere who have never heard of war have turned out to be urban legends. Careful studies show that hunter-gatherers are dead serious about war. They make weapons as destructive as their ingenuity permits.' [3]

The Old Testament recounts large battles that resulted in the capture of towns where the opposing tribal inhabitants were put to death. Much sociological literature is available explaining why we resort to use aggression, models are used to describe how one grouping is seen in a negative light and eventually become victims.

It is safe to say that violence has been extensively studied. In today's society psychologists are frequently being consulted about social learning theory, which is the effect of glamorized violent role models on individuals, as seen in the media on computer games and through music. Contemporary adult society promotes violence as a form of entertainment; films create a rationale for the use of violence and blur children's perceptions of fantasy and reality.

For the majority we are observers, bystanders to events that we may choose to try and understand or not, terrorist acts for example. To analyse the psychology of political violence is complex, but also dangerous. If such acts are met with reasoning or the merest attempt to understand, one is immediately accused of eulogising them.

[1] Palestinian Artist- Samia Zaru. Extract from 'Artists pool talents in support of Intifada', Jordan Times.

[2] Pablo Picasso

[3] Steven Pinker - The Blank Slate


	ARTISTS STATEMENT [A Reflection] 'Art was never simply an end in itself, but was always a form of political expression. Art should have a message, a canvas is no longer a construction of colours and lines, but a cry to refuse injustice and cruelty.' [1] Conflict can generate powerful emotions and drive individuals to express these by several means. Many artists in the Middle East have focused on political injustice and war as subject matter in their own practice, local violence has found a second means of expression through art. Picasso's 'Guernica' was an immediate response to the indiscriminate bombing of that town during the Spanish Civil War. 'How could it be possible to feel no interest in other people and with a cool indifference detach yourself from the very life which they bring to you so abundantly? No, painting is not done to decorate apartments, it is an instrument of war.' [2] The beginning of the 21st Century started with several regions engaged in conflict; compounded by terrorist events and the prospect of an invasion of another country. Governments usually have mixed reasons for war, but post conflict they have influence, can impose political change and gain benefit from existing natural resources. How sophisticated have we become in resolving our differences as humans in this new era? The acceptance of violence as a means to resolving problems is seen in individuals, small groups as well as large armies. The notion that man is not inherently prone to violence 'has been refuted by studies of hunter-gatherers and societies (more generally), that show how violence and warfare are a human universal. The reports of tribes out there somewhere who have never heard of war have turned out to be urban legends. Careful studies show that hunter-gatherers are dead serious about war. They make weapons as destructive as their ingenuity permits.' [3] The Old Testament recounts large battles that resulted in the capture of towns where the opposing tribal inhabitants were put to death. Much sociological literature is available explaining why we resort to use aggression, models are used to describe how one grouping is seen in a negative light and eventually become victims. It is safe to say that violence has been extensively studied. In today's society psychologists are frequently being consulted about social learning theory, which is the effect of glamorized violent role models on individuals, as seen in the media on computer games and through music. Contemporary adult society promotes violence as a form of entertainment; films create a rationale for the use of violence and blur children's perceptions of fantasy and reality. For the majority we are observers, bystanders to events that we may choose to try and understand or not, terrorist acts for example. To analyse the psychology of political violence is complex, but also dangerous. If such acts are met with reasoning or the merest attempt to understand, one is immediately accused of eulogising them. [1] Palestinian Artist- Samia Zaru. Extract from 'Artists pool talents in support of Intifada', Jordan Times. [2] Pablo Picasso [3] Steven Pinker - The Blank Slate